Building tradespeople are calling on the Government to urgently support housing renovations

The year 2025 thus ended with an overall contraction of 3,8% in activity, illustrating the lack of a structural recovery in the sector. CAPEB urges the Government to focus this year on the renovation segment by creating the conditions to restore a climate of confidence among small building trades businesses and their clients, who have been severely weakened by political and regulatory instability.

An improvement in new construction, a worrying decline in renovation

Stop-and-go policies have destroyed visibility, hampered investment, and weakened employment. Construction tradespeople are moving forward without a compass, tossed about by shifting and contradictory regulations, unable to plan their activities over the long term.

In 2025, the volume of activity declined by 3,8% year-on-year. In the fourth quarter of 2025, activity decreased by 2% year-on-year. The crisis in new construction eased slightly (-3% in the 4th quarter), correlated with the increase in building permits (+13,5%) and housing starts (+4,8%), encouraging signs for the new construction sector.

Conversely, for five consecutive quarters, maintenance, improvement, and energy renovation work has stagnated at -1,5%. The suspension, then the abrupt modification of MaPrimeRénov', followed by another suspension due to the lack of consensus on the state budget, had an immediate impact on decisions regarding renovation work. Yet, 79% of tradespeople consider this program crucial for initiating projects (result of a survey conducted by CAPEB among its members in November 2025).

Renovation and energy transition: urgent measures for 2026

To restore confidence and support growth, CAPEB calls for focusing efforts on maintenance and renovation, which is at the heart of the energy transition, as well as on adapting housing to the aging population and new uses.

Several signs are encouraging: the household savings rate is beginning to decline, order books are growing, the number of defaults remains low, and cash flow needs are decreasing to 17%, compared to 22% in the previous quarter. Sales of existing homes continue their recovery, reaching 929.000 units, an 11,3% increase year-over-year. It is essential to consolidate these positive trends.

CAPEB is calling on the Government to establish a clear trajectory for housing policy, from new construction to renovation. Implementing effective and stable measures is essential: reopening the MaPrimeRénov' grant application centers, finalizing the phased energy renovation process, simplifying access to RGE certification, and establishing Temporary Business Groups (GME). These measures, which require no additional funding, will support all households, including those with the lowest incomes, and address the energy renovation challenge facing France.

The step-by-step energy renovation process, led by CAPEB and supported by industry stakeholders, is the only approach capable of moving beyond a short-term vision in the management of the MaPrimeRénov' scheme, to arrive at an essential multi-year strategy, allowing us to encompass all the actions necessary for a high-performance energy renovation, including wall insulation and biomass heating solutions.

The financing of this process, which will lead to a complete renovation after 5 years, must be based on the reorientation of part of the MaPrimeRénov' envelope currently dedicated to large-scale renovations (3,6 billion), on CEEs and on private financing through the mobilization of banking institutions.

The implementation of this program is crucial because it was designed to encourage all households, including the most modest and very modest, to undertake home renovations. A third of the French housing stock, including 4,8 million energy-inefficient properties, is affected. It's also worth remembering that 80% of the homes that will exist in 2050 already do and will require renovation. Comprehensive renovation cannot be the only approach, given the immense needs and the continued fragility of household purchasing power.

CAPEB also highlights the sector's support for the amendment it proposed to parliamentarians regarding intra-family donations, aimed at encouraging the financing of renovation work. Simplifying access to RGE certification through VAE (Validation of Acquired Experience) and establishing GMEs (Groupements de Mutualisation des Entreprises - Business Mutualization Groups) provide additional levers for securing projects and enabling a greater number of companies to access the energy renovation market.

Overhauling the REP: small volumes that absolutely must be taken into account

The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) issue remains central. The scenario that Minister Matthieu Lefèvre chooses must absolutely take into account the realities of very small businesses, prioritizing the maintenance of free take-back for small volumes of waste and an appropriate territorial network, which constitute the original purpose of EPR and a priority for craft businesses.

For Jean-Christophe Repon, president of CAPEB: “Small, independent construction businesses continue to sink deeper into a structural crisis, met with indifference from political authorities. On December 17th, they made it clear that they cannot tolerate another year of being penalized by political instability and the lack of decisions for their sector. CAPEB expects concrete progress within two weeks on simplifying the RGE certification process through VAE (Validation of Acquired Experience), temporary business groupings, and a phased renovation approach. If we do not receive a response from the Government, we will again consult our network to determine the next steps following the mobilization of December 17th.”

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.